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I JOSEPH H. 4SPRING-ER AND WILLIAM M. BAETHAM, or PHILADELPHIA,

- PENNSYLVANIA, AssIoNoRsy To HENRY srELLWAcEN, TRUSTEE.

Letters Patent No. 62,230, dated February 19, 1867.

IMPRGVEMENT IN LOW-WATER ALARMS FOB. STEAM GENERATOBS..

"dige Segnale :durch tu in time ettrs .gzrtcut mit noting no of tige 5min.

To ALL lWHoII/I Ir MAY ooNoERN;

Be it known that we, .lossen H. SPRINGER and WILLIAM M. BAnruuir, of the city and county of Philadelphia, iu the'State of Pennsylvania, have invented e. new and useful Improved Steam Monitor or Low-Water .Alarm for Steam Boilers; and We do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a view in elevation of our steam monitor.

Figure 2 represents alvertical central sectionvthrough the same; and

Figure 3 is o. section through the centic of the .steam` pipe und valve-rod that operates the whistle.

Letters Putcntot' the United States, dated .Tune 19, 1866, and numbered 55,?32, were granted to us for certain improvements in indicators for steam generators, ou which our present inventions are improvements.

While our original invention above mentioned is very effective in operation, We have found it desirable to provide some further adaptations for applying it to marine steam generators' working in a rolling Sea, because; in such navigation, as the water level changes in the boiler with vthe pitching the vessel, it necessarily prodocce a corresponding change in the level oi the water in the indicator, irrespective of lthe actual quantity of' water in the boiler; as, for example, on descending a wave the Water level would risc in the indicator, and on ascending a wave the water would fall in the indicator independent oi' any save a very marked change in the quantity of water in the boiler. Again, We have found somo inconvenience arising fron'. placing the valve which regulates the alarm over the centre of and in connection .with the glass tubo, as in our Patent No. 55,732, by reason of the steam which condenses about t-lic valve passing into-the glass tube. Again, we iind it desirable to be able to test thoopcrativo condition of the alarm by some device independent of the Water in the boiler.

Now, it is the object of our improvement to adapt our original indicator to these requirements in marine boilers; to which end our invention consists, Iirst, in so arranging the balancc-valvo that the pressure of the steam shall be equal on the top and bottom of the valve when it is placed at one side ot' the monitor; second, in so connecting the monitor with the steam generator that the monitor can he removed at any moment at the pleasure of the engineer; third, in the attachment of u pendulum to the Watervalve Whether double or sin gie) in such manner that the fore and aft pitching of the vessel shall alternately open and. close the valve and thus regulate the levelof the water in the monitor, n'hile the communication between the boiler and monitor shall remain open wheuthe vessel rights again upon4 an even keel; fourth, in combining a test cock with the monitor to determine the action of the steam valve independently of the water in the boiler.

A metal tube or cylinder, A, closed by caps, a a, on its top end bottom, is provided with gauge-cocks l, 2, 3, and at its upper end communicates with the steam chamber of the boiler by a pipe, B, and at its lower end4 communicates vwith the Water chamber of the boiler through a pipe, G. The pipes B C are coupled to the cylinder A by screw-joints. The pipe B is provided with a stop-cock, Z1, and the pipe G'with a stop-cock, c, so that by closing the stop-cocks b and c the Working connection between the boiler and the monitor may be .shut oil', and by uncoupliug the pipes B and C the monitor can 13o-removed :1t pleasure, and of course attached again, and the lsnip-cocks opened so as to reuen' the' working connection, these removals and replacements being mede without interrupting the working ot` the boiler. Within thc cylinder A We suspend, as shown iug. 2 of the drawings, a light metallic cup or bucket, D, the circumference of which is nearly equal to the internal circumference of the cylinder, thus leaving the bucket free to rise and fall within the cylinder. The bucket is so suspended (by a rod, E,) that its top is nearly on a plane with the water line of the boiler, which should be about the centre of the cylinder A, as shown 2by a red line in iig. 2 of the drawings. The bucket may have a perA fo'ratcd top, J preferred, instead of being left entirely open. The lower cap a of the cylinder is provided with u cock, el, for afpurpose to be hereinafter described. From the side of the upper end of the cylinder A, a pipe, F, projects far enough to receive a valve and its seat, above which this pipe is provided with a steam whistle, G.

Within thopipc F a'seat, e, is arranged for the valve j', on the valve-rod g, which is also-provided with second valve, l resting against a seat, c', beneath the pipe F, as 4shown in g. 3. The valve-rod or steing has coiled round it a spiral spring, the tendency of which is to hold the valves ff upon their Seats g g The valve-stem y is punched or drilled near its centre with a hole large enough toA receive a valve-v rod, H, whichis pivoted to a screw, 7L, in 'the outer end ofl the pipe F, and the rod H, after passing through the valve-stem, extends forward in the pipe F beyond ,the centre of the cylinder'A, 'its front end being' punched or drilled with a hole that will receive the upper end of'the rod E, which supports the bucket the rod E being properly adjustable byscr'ew-nuts above and below the rod II. By this arrangement, when,

the whistle blows the surplus escape of .steam and the water condensed about the valve-sten1 pass out through the bottom 'of the pipe F, instead of into the glass tube. From the upper and lower ends of Athe cvlinder and opposite the pipes B C, we provide two hollow projections or pipes, I K, between which weisecureh. glass tube, L, in any proper manner to render it steam-tight, and thi'swe protect with guard rods 4,-5, 6, 7, te prevent its being broken. The upper pipe I communicates with the steam chamber of the boiler through' the cylinder A, and the lower pipe K-communicates with the water space of theboiler, also through the cylinder. .A valvesteln, M, passes through the cylinder and through the pipe K from the pipe C, within which we provide a perforated disk, N, that has a valvefa-ce on each side, against which the valves n n press alternately' as the stem M is moved back and forth. Under the pipe K we suspend a pendulum, 0,1by set-screws passing throuf'hthe arms of its Y-shaped stem and* bearing upon the sides of the pipe, so that thependulum is lfree to swn: back and forth to conform to the pitching motion of vessel'sfut sea'. Acurved arm, P, passes from the stenief the pendulum to the outer c nd of the valve-stem Mwhich passes through a stalling-box, the curved arm being so pivoted at both ends as to communicate the vibrations of the pendulum to the stem M and valves n n.

The operation of oui` improved monitor is as follows: It is attached to the boiler and the s'top-.coc'ks'b c are opened. The water from thoboiler will then enter the cylinder A and rise to the level of the red line in $10.2 filling the cup or bucket D and maintaining that level so. long ns the proper supply of water is maintaiuedbut when the water in the boiler :becomes too far reduced for the safe and-proper workingof the boiler itwill also be reduced in the cylinder and sink until the weight of the lcup -l'lod with water which it retains vovercomes the resistance of the spring on the valve-stem, when the valve f-will open and the escape of steam through it tothe whistle will admonish the engineer. At the same time the valve f will open and permit any eo'ndensed steam to pass out without obstructing 'the action of the whistle. When the vessel pitches the peu-- dulum will vibrate with the vessel, and, by alternately opening and closing ithe valves 'n `n,'pr,event the undue ilow of water from the boiler to the cylinder, or from the cylinder into the boiler, and thus' sustain the cup Din its proper position and insure-a'regular actionof the whistle with relation to the true quantity of water in the boiler. At times it may be found desirable to test the action ofthe whistle independently of vthe water in the boiler, and. this we do either by shutting-olf the water from the boiler by turning the cock C or by moving the stem M to close the valve-seat, thenopcn the cock d in the bottom cap of the cylinder, when,

if the whistle and its connections are in proper condition, the discharge of water from the cylinder and the I 'consequent sinking of the cup D will cause the whistle to blow, as already described.

Of course we do not mean to limit ourselves to any precise dimension for-a monitor or for its parts, but

design to adapt them in various sizes to the varying conditions in which the whole may be used;v and it` is obvious that, instead of two valves acting on one-.seat alternately to chock thjc flow of' water from the boiler to the cylinder, a single valve may be placed on the rod to work alternately against two vulveseats. Other equally obvious modifications may be employed without departing from the substance of ou1 invention. Itis also obvious that by drilling a hole on 'one side and near the top of the cylinder-n. steam. pressure'gauge may be as well attached to the monitor as to the' boiler.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl1. The arrangement of the balance-valve f, with-reference to the monitor and whistle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination and arrangement of the pendulum attachment with the stem of the water-valve,

substantially as and fo'r Athe purpose setforth.

3. The arrangement of the test-cock d, the cylinder, the cup D, and the valve-stemM, substantially as and for the lpurpose speeilied.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names. 1 v

' Y JOSEPH Hf SPRINGER,

WILLIAM M. BARTRAM.

Witnesses:

'BARTHOLOMEW CLARKE,

W. OGLE. 

